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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · branch · cell · board · shower · bear · march · rock

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. shower — rain
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. object — an aim
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rock — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. object — a thing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — to get on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com